Several ticket subscriptions packages are available for the 2013-14 season at the auditorium at the University of Illinois Springfield. Tickets to individual events go on sale Aug. 5.

Robert Vaughn, director of the auditorium, said the upcoming season, which begins this fall, highlights not just the magic that occurs when a large audience gathers to watch a performance, but the many people needed to stage a concert, a musical or dance recital.

“When you think about all of the people that go into this — the (auditorium) advisory board, the staff, the valet people, food service, ushers, booking agents, artists … by the time you do the publicity, by the time you get to the actual performance, there are thousands of people involved,” he said.

Sangamon Auditorium will continue providing valet parking this season, and now has a smartphone app available from the Android and Apple app stores that allow people to buy tickets. (Search for "Sangamon Auditorium" in the app store.) Dinners will be served before four Broadway Series performances (they are noted below).

Visiting Artist Series

Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, 8 p.m. Oct. 25. The performance features gypsy music and dancing. “It’s important that we present world music and dance. Quite a bit of our population doesn’t travel internationally,” Vaughn said.

Masters of the Fiddle, 8 p.m. Nov. 8. Featuring Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, the fiddlers are rooted in Celtic styles, but play a variety of high-energy music.

Foreigner, 8 p.m. Nov. 15. The rock band was a consistent presence on the radio from the late 1970s to the late 1980s with “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Juke Box Hero,” “I Want to Know What Love Is” and “Say You Will.”

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16. Although the New Age band has released a number of albums, it is best known for its many Christmas music releases — notably, its version of “Deck the Halls” that returns to radio each holiday season.

TAO: Phoenix Rising, 7:30 p.m. March 13. The Japanese ensemble features drumming and dancing.

“HMS Pinafore,” 7 p.m. March 23. The Gilbert and Sullivan operetta offers Springfield an accessible entry into opera, an art form performed rarely in the capital city. The comedy is about the daughter of ship’s captain who loves a lowly sailor but whose hand in marriage has been promised to a cabinet minister.

San Francisco Jazz Collective, 7 p.m. March 30. The eight-piece ensemble features some of the best jazz musicians in the world and performs original music and jazz classics by some of the genre’s most notable composers.

“The Gershwin Project,” starring Peter Nero, 8 p.m. April 11. Nero recently ended a 34-year tenure as conductor of the Philly Pops, and he is a Grammy Award-winning pianist. He is performing Gershwin music such as “I Got Rhythm” and “‘S Wonderful.”

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, 7 p.m. April 27. Founded by groundbreaking choreographer Alvin Ailey, the New York City company continues to commission new dance performances.

UIS Broadway Series

Blue Man Group, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30-Oct. 1. Conveniently playing into this year’s UIS homecoming theme of “Catch Blue Fever,” Blue Man Group features performers covered in blue makeup who play unusual percussion instruments backed by a full band, and incorporate videos, lights and comedy in their shows. “We’ve been working on this event for several years,” Vaughn said.

“Memphis,” 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29. In 1950s Memphis, Tenn., a white disc jockey and a black singer use music to try to change the world. The musical won four Tony Awards in 2010, including best musical, and was nominated for four more.

“Hello, Dolly!” 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22. The musical about a matchmaker working to find true love for herself and others stars Sally Struthers, who stared as Gloria Bunker on “All in the Family” and its spinoff “Gloria,” and appeared in more than 50 episodes of “Gilmore Girls” as Babette Dell. She’s also done voice work for animated TV series.

“Jersey Boys,” 7:30 p.m. March 4-6, 2 and 8 p.m. March 7-8. Seven performances are scheduled for the musical that tells the tale of (and is set to music by) the 1960s-1970s pop group the Four Seasons. The group’s hit songs performed in the musical include “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Sherry,” “My Eyes Adored You” and “Rag Doll.” This is an unusually long stay for one company at Sangamon Auditorium, which typically hosts acts for just one night. Vaughn said the last comparable run was “Mamma Mia,” which was in Springfield for eight shows.

“Million Dollar Quartet,” 7:30 p.m. March 25. The musical recreates the day in 1956 when Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins were all in the same recording studio. Some of the biggest hits by each man are featured — including “Hound Dog,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Blue Suede Shoes” and “I Walk the Line.”

“The Addams Family,” 7:30 p.m. May 7. Based on the macabre and popular comic strip that spawned a TV show and movie series, “The Addams Family” is about what happens when a creepy, kooky family meets the “normal” boy young Wednesday Addams falls for. The musical was written by “Jersey Boys” writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice.

Kitchen Sink Series

Marty Balin, 8 p.m. Sept. 21. The onetime member of Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship, Balin sang lead vocals on the hits “Miracles” and “Count on Me.” As a solo artist, his hits include “Hearts” and “Atlanta Lady (Something About Your Love).”

Iris DeMent, 8 p.m. Oct. 18. The singer with “a voice like a Kansas wheat field,” as Vaughn described it, has had her music used in films including “You Can Count On Me,” “Saved” and the 2010 version of “True Grit.”

Judy Carmichael, 8 p.m. Dec. 6. The stride jazz pianist and singer Judy Carmichael, who hosts the public radio program “Judy Carmichael’s Jazz Inspired,” earned a Grammy Award nomination for her work on “Two Handed Stride.”

Christopher O’Riley, “Out of My Hands,” 8 p.m. Jan. 31. O’Riley, who hosts public radio’s “From the Top” program that spotlights young musicians, plays arrangements of classical music and alternative rock tunes on piano.

Fifth House Ensemble, “Invoking the Muse,” 8 p.m. Feb. 15. The chamber music ensemble will collaborate with UIS faculty members, who will share what inspires them to do their work.

Cyrille Aimee, 8 p.m. March 21. The latin jazz singer won the first Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition.

“Junie B. Jones,” 7 p.m. Jan. 24. The adventures – or, misadventures – of a young girl from the book series by Barbara Park come to life.

“We’re Going on a Bear Hunt,” 7 p.m. April 16. A family has various little adventures on their way to a big adventure: trying to catch a bear.

More options

Create Your Own Series: Patrons can choose performances from the Broadway, Visiting Artist, Kitchen Sink and Family series.
Current subscribers: People who purchased subscriptions for 2012-13 have until July 12 to renew their subscriptions and ensure they get the same seats.
Pre-show dinners: The UIS Alumni Sage Society and Sangamon Auditorium Advisory Board will host dinners at the Public Affairs Center on campus before performances of “Memphis,” “Hello, Dolly,” “Ten Tenors on Broadway” and “Million Dollar Quartet.” Dinner tickets are available when purchasing tickets to the performances.

Information

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